Architecture inside architecture. This is the approach of the Meet Up collection by Fantoni, a line of height-adjustable tables that creates new destinations for meeting and working inside office spaces. Not just furnishings, but plazas around which to interact, discuss and socialize. These are the main requirements of contemporary offices, and Meet Up fulfills them with a proposal that represents the evolution of executive spaces, which become less ‘individual’ and more like places for ‘meeting.’
Designed by Centro Ricerche Fantoni, the new line already reveals its architectural value in its aesthetics: regular geometry, sculptural appeal, variable heights to create different levels of use. The version with a fixed base is joined by models that incorporate a height adjustment mechanism with counter-weights to allow the tops to be raised (without using energy), while making it easy to reposition tables in the room. There are also versions adjusted with an electrical mechanism contained in a compartment that can be opened.
The essential lines, in the metal base and the slightly rounded tops, interact with decorative choices that draw on the refinement typical of residential furnishings, including the use of Calacatta or Noir marble.
Nevertheless, the common denominator of the collection is the multifunctional character of the various models, which reduce the difference between managerial spaces, meeting rooms and operative zones, reinforcing a concept of hybrid zones. Furthermore, the entire Meet Up series stands out for its ‘green’ approach.
The materials are recyclable and sustainable, like the chipboard surfaces themselves (a panel produced by Fantoni in 100% recycled wood). This choice reflects the company’s attitude of many years, in pursuit of a sustainable business model featuring self-production of energy, vertical integration of production processes, circular economy and cascading of wood products as a paradigm.
The Meet Up collection also offers a range of cabinets (high and low) that stand out for their pure forms and monolithic image: with the same decorative features as the tables, they create a visual language of great consistency, while expanding the functional variety of the space, both as individual pieces in modular systemic compositions.
“We have learned to design low-intensity workspaces to respond to the need for social distancing – say the company’s spokesmen. – We have made alternative, flexible workspaces available to increase safety and security. We have also replaced open-plan areas with multifunctional work zones, and we have understood the importance of safeguarding a sense of community and connection between people.” All these factors are clearly visible in Meet Up.
